retailcloud POS: Features, Pricing and Best Alternatives

Running a retail store or restaurant today necessitates a point of sale (POS) system that can keep up. Clunky, outdated systems will only drain your budget and be unable to scale as your business grows.

retailcloud offers a strong, if complex, option for US businesses that need a retail POS system. It serves everyone from small, independent shops to large, multi-location companies, such as major league sports stadiums. But is its unique “bring your own hardware and processor” model a smart strategy for long-term savings?

Here’s what you need to know about where retailcloud excels, where it falls short and whether its flexible strategy is the right bet for your next stage of growth.

retailcloud Review: Key POS Features

retailcloud is a deep and varied toolkit designed to cover nearly every angle of a modern retail or hospitality business. The modular nature of the system lets you piece together a tailored solution, but the complexity of the backend console can be a hurdle for some users.

Inventory management

At its heart, retailcloud gives you a powerful inventory system that syncs in real time across every sales channel. You can manage an unlimited product catalog, create complex items with size and color variations, and bundle products into packages. The system helps you avoid stockouts with available automated low-stock alerts and reorder points right out of the box.

For larger operations, the Enterprise plan unlocks advanced tools, including bin-level warehouse management and RFID serial number tracking.

CRM tools

retailcloud’s built-in customer relationship management (CRM) features keep customers returning. You can create detailed customer profiles to track buying habits and preferences — perfect for offering a personalized service.

The platform also features a built-in, customizable loyalty program to reward your regular customers. You can even slice your customer base into groups, such as VIPs or wholesale accounts, for targeted marketing.

Reporting and analytics

Log in to retailcloud’s real-time dashboards to access a full suite of standard reports on sales, stock levels and staff performance. For a deeper look, you can build custom reports with granular filters.

Multi-store and franchise support

The central console lets you manage products, pricing and employees across all locations, from one screen. You can manage by region, district and individual store. On higher-tier plans, you can control which products are sold at specific locations to match local demand.

Ecommerce integration

retailcloud gives you a straightforward path to omnichannel sales. It offers its own platform, retailcloud Online, with two-way sync that keeps your in-store and online inventory perfectly aligned.

If you already have an online store set up, retailcloud also integrates with Shopify, so your stock counts are always accurate across both platforms.

Mobility and cloud access

Because it is a cloud-native POS rather than an on-premise one, you can run your business from anywhere. For your staff on the floor, the 6ixPOS mobile app transforms an Android device into a powerful mobile POS, freeing your team from behind the counter.

retailcloud Review: Hardware and Accessories

One of retailcloud’s biggest promises is the freedom to sidestep a huge upfront investment in hardware. However, this flexibility comes with responsibilities that all-in-one providers would handle for you.

Hardware-agnostic setup

Put simply, the system is built to work with a wide variety of third-party retail hardware. If you’ve already invested in receipt printers, barcode scanners and cash drawers, you can likely keep using them, potentially saving you thousands of dollars. However, you’re responsible for ensuring compatibility and troubleshooting any issues that may arise.

Certified hardware bundles

If you’re starting fresh or just want a guarantee that everything will work together, retailcloud does offer pre-tested, certified hardware bundles. The HP Engage Android POS Bundle ($2,695) is a good example. It’s a commercial-grade kit that includes a terminal, customer display, printer and cash drawer. All are covered by a three-year warranty.

All-in-one terminal: PAX E800

For businesses wanting a modern, clean look, retailcloud supports (and sells) sleek, all-in-one terminals like the Pax E800. This countertop unit combines a large merchant touchscreen, an interactive customer display, a built-in receipt printer and a payment reader into one stylish package. It looks professional and reduces counter clutter.

Peripheral hardware and add-ons

You can build out your perfect setup by purchasing a full range of peripherals directly from retailcloud. The lineup includes specific models, such as the high-performance CR5000 Barcode Reader ($535) and the versatile Star Wireless Bluetooth 2D handheld barcode scanner ($349). For businesses that sell items by weight, there’s the Brecknell 60 lb POS Scale ($895).

Consumables and supplies

To ensure you don’t run out of the essentials, retailcloud also stocks supplies through its online store. You can easily order thermal receipt paper and barcode labels. These are guaranteed to be compatible with retailcloud’s certified printers.

retailcloud Review: Pricing and Fees

retailcloud’s pricing is straightforward, but its real value comes from the control it gives you over your biggest variable cost: payment processing.

Software fees are charged monthly for each POS terminal. The entry-level Everyday retail plan is competitively priced at $29. The multi-location Grow plan is $99. The feature-rich Pro plan is $149.

POS software plans

Card processing rates

Since retailcloud works with any payment processor, you’re free to negotiate your own rates with any provider. This gives you the leverage to secure a much better deal than the fixed, flat-rate fees charged by all-in-one competitors.

retailcloud’s hardware pricing

Retailcloud offers a wide range of POS hardware from various third-party vendors.

Does retailcloud offer good value for money?

For the right business, absolutely — the freedom to pick your own payment processor can be a massive financial advantage. If you can negotiate a rate that’s even slightly lower than the fixed rates of competitors, you can save thousands of dollars a year. Likewise, using your existing hardware can slash your startup costs.

The catch, as noted in many retailcloud reviews, is that you become the manager of multiple vendor relationships. When something breaks, you risk falling into a “support triangle” where your software, hardware and payment providers can all point fingers at each other.

retailcloud Review: What Kind of Business Is retailcloud Best For?

retailcloud’s platform is versatile. But it’s an especially powerful fit for a few types of businesses that are prepared for its hands-on nature.

Multi-store retailers

This is where retailcloud shines. If you run a retail business with several locations and have the resources to manage a multi-vendor setup, this platform is built for you. Features like centralized management, real-time inventory visibility, unified customer and reporting tools, and store-to-store stock transfers are essential for running a chain efficiently.

Mid-sized and growing businesses

If you’ve outgrown a simpler, all-in-one POS system, you’ll find retailcloud can help cut costs as you scale. As your sales volume increases, the ability to shop for lower payment processing rates becomes a powerful tool for boosting your profit margins.

Inventory-heavy businesses

Retailers with large, complex catalogs will benefit from retailcloud’s powerful inventory tools. The system handles an unlimited number of SKUs, supporting everything from simple product variations to complex bundles.

For businesses that need surgical precision in their stock control, the advanced features in the Pro plan are competitive with top-tier, enterprise-grade systems.

Retailers with both online and offline sales

retailcloud gives you the tools you need for a true omnichannel strategy. Real-time inventory sync between its POS and ecommerce platforms prevents overselling and keeps customers happy, making it a great choice for any brick-and-mortar store looking to grow its online presence.

Budget-conscious businesses

For new businesses, the low $29 per month entry price of the Everyday plan is hard to ignore. The ability to use your existing hardware can also dramatically lower your startup costs.

retailcloud Review: How Does retailcloud Compare With Its Competitors?

Square: Best for simplicity and startups

Square is considered one of the best retail POS systems for a reason: its simplicity and accessibility are unmatched. With Square, your software, hardware and payment processing all come from a single source. Plus, you have only one support number to call. For a new business owner, that’s incredibly appealing.

The retailcloud and Square debate really boils down to whether you value Square’s ease of use and predictable, flat-rate fees more than the potential savings from negotiating your own rates.

Lightspeed Retail: Best for advanced inventory management

While retailcloud’s inventory tools are robust, Lightspeed is often considered the gold standard, especially for retailers with intricate catalogs. Its system is engineered to handle a high volume of SKUs and detailed product variations, allowing you to effortlessly manage items with multiple attributes, such as size, color and material, using its powerful inventory matrix.

Lightspeed Retail’s purchasing tools are seamlessly integrated, too, so you can create and track purchase orders, manage supplier catalogs and set custom reorder points to trigger low-stock alerts directly within the platform.

If your biggest headache is taming a massive, multi-variant inventory and you’re willing to pay for a premium tool that offers such granular control, Lightspeed is possibly the smarter investment.